The serial peripheral interconnect (SPI) is an interface bus utilized for exchanging data between microcontrollers and small peripheral devices. These peripheral devices can include registers, sensors, memory cards, and similar devices. The SPI bus is generally suitable for short distance communication. The SPI bus is a synchronous serial interface and a four wire bus. A successor to SPI is call enhanced SPI (eSPI) and enables a reduction in the number of pins required on motherboards in comparison with prior standards. eSPI provides greater throughput and reduces the working voltage required for operation.
The universal serial bus (USB) standard is a standard that defines cables, connections and communication protocols used for connection, communication and power supply between electronic devices. The USB standard has evolved over time to utilize various connector types and support varying features. Amongst these USB standards is the USB type-C standard that defines a reversible plug connector for USB devices. The Type-C plug connects to electronic devices that function as both hosts and connected devices.
Connecting an electronic device to a host device such as computing system having a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU) and similar components encompasses having circuitry that detects the connection of the electronic device. Where a device is connected via a USB Type-C connector port, there is circuitry that detects the connection of a cable and electronic device to the connector port. This enables the software and circuitry that manage the USB communication protocols to initiate communication and power controls for the connected device. This detection circuitry is placed on the motherboard and adds cost and complexity to the motherboard configuration and design.